§ Mr. Robert Cookeasked the Postmaster-General (1) how many telephone exchanges will be equipped with electronic switching in each of the next five years;
(2) if he will make a statement on his policy regarding the installation of electronic switching in the telephone system of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. BennMy policy is to change over to the installation of fully electronic exchange equipment as quickly as practicable. New exchanges up to 2,000 lines capacity ordered from now on will be electronic. Orders for five exchanges of this kind have already been placed and the first is expected to come into service by the end of this year. There will be follow-on orders for fifty similar exchanges and these are expected to come into service in the late 1960s. The development of larger electronic exchanges and of electronic equipment for extending existing electro-mechanical exchanges is proceeding satisfactorily but has not yet reached the stage at which ordering programmes can be prepared.